Antigua Hurricane Relief

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The Caribbean island
of Dominica has been "devastated" by Hurricane Maria,
the country's Prime Minister tells CNN.

The powerful storm, which made landfall Monday
night, has since been downgraded to a Category 4 with sustained
winds of 155 mph. After it passes over Dominica it is on course
to score a direct hit on the US territory of Puerto Rico --
the first hurricane of its strength to do so in 85 years.

"We're just waiting for daybreak
to do an assessment of the damage," Dominica Prime
Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told CNN's Rosemary Church.

"Our first
order of business will be search and rescue to ensure we can
account for every single citizen and residents who were on
the island during this really devastating hurricane."
A statement from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said
that its record-topping winds reached 160 miles per hour when
it hit the island nation. In an update the Center said that
reports "indicate significant damage to structures has
occurred in Dominica."

Maria made landfall on Dominica late Monday, coming ashore at
9:15 p.m. ET. It was so powerful that it tore the roof off the Prime
Minister's residence.

"Personally I was affected," Skerrit said. "The
roof of the residence caved in because of the strength of the wind.
But I was taken to safe ground by ... police officers, thank God.
"This hurricane stayed in the country for a very, very long
time and (was) just unrelenting. I don't think there were very many
roofs which would survive the hurricane."

In a Facebook post he added: "So far we have lost all what
money can buy and replace.
"My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news
of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely
landslides triggered by persistent rains."